Squash (Winter)

*includespumpkin, butternut, acorn etc.

This
food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good
source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium
and Magnesium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and
Manganese.

More than just a festive touch on the front porch, pumpkin is actually good for you. A great source of antioxidant carotenoids, pumpkin provides a day's worth of these protective pigments in just a half-cup serving. It also provides fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and phosphorus, all while being low in calories: only 49 in a cup of the cooked flesh. Choose a pumpkin that is unblemished, has no decay spots, and has a bit of the stem in place. While most pumpkins sold in North America are used for Halloween decorations and pumpkin pie, pumpkin is versatile – look for recipes that use pumpkin in soup, bread, risotto, pancakes, pudding, smoothies, and more. And steamed pumpkin is a wonderful substitute for winter squash or sweet potatoes in a variety of dishes. Enjoy!

FUN FOOD FACTS "The apple of God," an expression of Ancient American Indians, tells us that as far back as 3,000 BCE squash was elevated to the highest status.The name "squash" is an abbreviation of the word "askutasquash" from the Narragansett Indian language, a tongue the Pilgrims found challenging. Other tribes in the area had similar words that all meant "something that is eaten raw." The Iroquois called it "isquoutersquash." The Algonquins' word, taken from the second syllable, was "askoot." Though many varieties of gourds are native to Europe, squashes did not exist there before Columbus came to the Americas. The facts reveal that archeologists never found squash seeds in the tombs of ancient Egypt, though they did find utensils made of gourds. Pumpkins and squashes are not mentioned in the Bible, ancient Chinese writings, or in ancient Asian Indian Sanskrit documents. Squashes are uniquely American.

SIMPLE FROM SCRATCH

If you
don’t have all of the ingredients, don’t worry.It’s soup!Anything goes.

And
you can always try simply adding the squash into your favorite soup.

They suggest baking the squash separately which wouldn’t work with a thawed one. So, instead, peel, remove seeds, chop coarsely and put into soup. It will be pureed at the end. Melt butter in saucepan, add onion, celery, apple, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes over low heat stirring occasionally. Add flavorings, broth and squash and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. In batches puree in a blender or food processor. Return soup to saucepan, add buttermilk (yogurt/water) and lemon juice. Adjust seasonings, heat the soup through but do not boil.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the dry ingredients slowly to the large bowl and mix until blended. Do not over beat. Pour the batter into a 9-inch loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes until the tester comes out clean. You may find that the interior of the bread is taking longer than anticipated. If this happens simply cover the dish with foil to protect the top of the bread from getting too brown and keep cooking.

Pumpkin Pickles This is for any canners out there, but of course the pickles can be made and kept in the refrigerator until they reach the desired amount of “pickling.” 7 cups pumpkin cut, cored, peeled and diced2 sticks cinnamon15 cloves2-1/3 cups 4% vinegar2-1/3 cups sugar

Steam the pumpkin cubes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Put the spices in a tea ball. Simmer them with the vinegar and sugar for 15 minutes. Simmer the pumpkin cubes in this syrup for 3 minutes. Set aside for 24 hours. Start water boiling in a canner. Heat the pumpkin/syrup mix and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the spices and pack into 7 ½-pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes, counting from when the water returns to a full boil.

Squash "Pumpkin" Pie

Try substituting your usual pumpkin pie recipe with squash. Here is how one of our CSA members, Deborah, did it!

I made a “pumpkin” pie over the weekend with one of the butternut squash we’ve been getting in the shares (actually, I used ½ a squash), and it was BY FAR the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever had. I just followed a standard pumpkin pie recipe, substituting the squash for the pumpkin. It was a bit sweeter than my usual pumpkin pie; I guess the squash is naturally sweeter than pumpkin, so next time I may cut back on the sugar. But for anyone looking for squash ideas, I highly recommend trying them out in pies – yum!